The Plan
by sheppardlover928
Summary: Drs Beckett and Heitmeyer report an increase in physical and mental maladies amongst the expedition members. John hopes his idea helps everyone.


The Plan

summary: Carson noted more and more physical maladies like head and muscle aches and Dr Heitmeyer reported more and more cases of developing depression amongst the expedition members, mostly in the scientific community. John wants to enact a plan to reduce these symptoms for everyone on the base.

—-ATLANTIS—

John waited impatiently while the Daedalus unloaded supplies. He had yet to see any boxes big enough for the items he ordered. Colonel Caldwell came up to him a moment later with the manifest list in his hand, looking it over.

"Odd request, Colonel Sheppard!" He smirked, knowing the Atlantis CO was always trying to find ways for his enlisted and civilian populations to stay fit.

John smiled. "Not at all, Colonel! What better way to stay in shape. Everyone can be taught how to ride, if they don't already know. Besides, if the transporters are down, Atlantis is pretty big—we can use them to get around...not to mention long treks off-world. No fuel or power needed—just good old-fashion leg work.

Colonel Caldwell considered his points and nodded in agreement. "There is that...I know the enlisted guys will be thrilled, but the civilian ones, well, you might have a problem there."

John smirked. "I'm going to make it mandatory. I'm going to set a course around the west pier that everyone will have to do and sign off at least once a week."

Caldwell eyed him suspiciously 'Isn't that the pier that got damaged during the Wraith Siege?"

"Yeah, but the engineers checked it out and deemed it safe, but it's got a bit of a tilt down in one spot but that's all the better to build cardio going up the incline that's present now."

Caldwell chuckled, Sheppard sure had some wild ideas but somehow he made them work. But this time he wouldnt want to be him when he told the sedentary scientists. "Well, good luck, Colonel. ". He patted the younger man's shoulder as he was summoned away by one of his crewmen.

A few minutes later, a large crate was being off-loaded and John knew it had to be the one. He headed over to the crewmen as they set the crate off the pallet.

"There's one more crate just like this and a smaller crate,with your name on them, sir. Do you want them anywhere special, sir?

"Nah, just leave them here...we can unload the bikes and helmets from here."

"Bikes, sir?"

"Yup...mountain bikes!"

One of the guys happened to be a mountain bike enthusiast and searched for the packing slip which he had to have the Colonel sign off on anyway, but he was curious to see what kind of bikes were in the crate. His eyes got big when he saw what he knew to be one of the best mountain bikes made.

"2019 Kona Hei Hei ! Fifteen of them! Man, I'm impressed! How'd you get the stiffs to sign off on these babies?!" Realizing he might have just stepped out of line, he apologized.

'Sorry, sir...none of my business. I'm just jealous sir...I've been saving up for one of these myself."

"Well, their worth saving up for, Sargeant." He wasn't about to tell him he had purchased the bikes with his own funds and were not government funded.

"Yes, sir. Have fun!" The crewmen smiled and went back to unload the other crates.

John turned to find Ronon headed his way. He was the only one he had told about his plans once he had approval by

Elizabeth and Carson. Ronon was excited and they had already started to plot out different courses for different levels of difficulty. Ronon didn't know how to ride a bike, but John was sure he would take to it naturally.

Nodding at Ronon, John hailed four of his teams via his ear com to meet them on deck. While they waited for the other two crates, John was anxious to try one out and popped the first crate open and unloaded one of the bikes. He was glad he had paid for full assembly, so each one was good to go.

He mounted the bike and rode around the area, lucky most of the crates had been moved inside, leaving a wide empty area. Some of the crew stopped to watch the officer smiling like a kid racing around the dock on the mountain bike.

By the time he came back around, the teams were there.

"Sweet!" One of his guys exclaimed and all agreed.

'Okay, guys...there are fifteen of these waiting to be unloaded. Does everyone know how to ride?"

Affirmatives from all around, John looked at Ronon. 'Grab one and I'll give you a quick lesson while they get the rest unloaded."

To his men, who were enthusiastically unloading the bikes. "Whoever is unlucky enough to not get one...you'll be in charge of giving helmets out and grabbing the repair kits. We'll rides these to the west pier, there's a room we can use to store them and the repair kits.

After the fifteen bikes each had a rider, and the riderless guys,who looked dejected, had handed out helmets. The fifteen bikers lead by John set off for the west pier. Ronon had taken to riding the bike within five minutes and followed second, looking every ounce an experienced biker. People moved out of the way, looking curiously at the parade of helmeted bikers. Tongues were wagging all over Atlantis, to say the least, and the rumor mill sported several different scenarios.

John let the rumors fly...for a few days—it was kind of entertaining to hear some of the rumors—the ones with outlandish speculations were actually funny—and he had to admit there were some ideas maybe he would actually implement. He chuckled when the true reason seemed to not make the gamut .

On the fourth day, with Elizabeth's permission—he announced his intended plans for the bikes via the city-wide com.

"Every expedition member, military and civilian will be expected to start a fitness plan , training with the bikes once the course is deemed ready. Physicals will be required before starting to obtain level of fitness. "

All military personnel were already engaging in a disciplined regimen of exercise daily , as part of their obligation so would be easy for Carson and his staff to pass. It was the scientists he feared would balk at any physical exertion.

"Any concerns take up with Dr Beckett and his staff. Just so you know, he is all on board with this 100 percent and barring any legitimate concerns, each and every member will be expected to comply. There will be courses for different levels of fitness, so those of you concerned about that, don't worry. And, while i'm at this point—let's not be children about this—this is not a competition—no one is to be made to feel bad about their individual fitness and course levels . Our goal here is for better health physically and hopefully mentally, too. "

Though he expected resistance, John was pleased over the next few days by how few grumbles he actually heard. Carson also was amazed when only a handful of scientists showed up in the infirmary with complaints. He had expected Rodney to be the first, but was amazed the top scientist had not come looking for an excuse.

Rodney had instead, marched into John's office straight away, A look only McKay could have pulled off—somewhere between anger and hurt there. John had expected his teammate's resistance. But instead, Rodney had gone off on him about not being in the loop *before* it was announce citywide.

It still floored him how indignant Rodney had been about not knowing and John had apologized, but added that he thought Rodney would be his number one complainer. That's when Rodney had informed him that as a kid, he had found solace riding his bike to and from school. It turned out that Rodney had actually been quite the athlete, having joined a team of riders who did different circuits around the city and surrounding areas during his college days.

So Rodney ended up a huge supporter of the bike fitness regimen John had outlined. Over the next few months Carson reported that everyone was benefitting physical and mentally from the mandatory exercise. He also noted less complaints about back aches and headaches from the over-stressed scientists. He was also pleased to say that with the safety measures implemented, bike-related injuries were also low. It appeared that on the whole, the Atlantis expedition was thriving.

John was happy that his plan worked out. There had been a few hitches but once dealt with, he was happy to see more smiling faces and more spring in the steps of each and every person he passed, some even taking the time to thank him and inform him of their progress. Many of the personnel had expressed their desire to purchase their own bike for use, which made John even happier. A healthier expedition was a stronger expedition, mind and body. What could he think of next?!

FIN

Thanks for reading!

Carson noted more and more physical maladies like head and muscle aches. Dr Heitmeyer reported more and more cases of developing depression amongst the expedition members, mostly in the scientific community. John wants to enact a plan to reduce these symptoms for everyone on the

—-ATLANTIS—

John waited impatiently while the Daedalus unloaded supplies. He had yet to see any boxes big enough for the items he ordered. Colonel Caldwell came up to him a moment later with the manifest list in his hand, looking it over.

"Odd request, Colonel Sheppard!" He smirked, knowing the Atlantis CO was always trying to find ways for his enlisted and civilian populations to stay fit.

John smiled. "Not at all, Colonel! What better way to stay in shape. Everyone can be taught how to ride, if they don't already know. Besides, if the transporters are down, Atlantis is pretty big—we can use them to get around...not to mention long treks off-world. No fuel or power needed—just good old-fashion leg work.

Colonel Caldwell considered his points and nodded in agreement. "There is that...I know the enlisted guys will be thrilled, but the civilian ones, well, you might have a problem there."

John smirked. "I'm going to make it mandatory. I'm going to set a course around the west pier that everyone will have to do and sign off at least once a week."

Caldwell eyed him suspiciously 'Isn't that the pier that got damaged during the Wraith Siege?"

"Yeah, but the engineers checked it out and deemed it safe, but it's got a bit of a tilt down in one spot but that's all the better to build cardio going up the incline that's present now."

Caldwell chuckled, Sheppard sure had some wild ideas but somehow he made them work. But this time he wouldnt want to be him when he told the sedentary scientists. "Well, good luck, Colonel. ". He patted the younger man's shoulder as he was summoned away by one of his crewmen.

A few minutes later, a large crate was being off-loaded and John knew it had to be the one. He headed over to the crewmen as they set the crate off the pallet.

"There's one more crate just like this and a smaller crate,with your name on them, sir. Do you want them anywhere special, sir?

"Nah, just leave them here...we can unload the bikes and helmets from here."

"Bikes, sir?"

"Yup...mountain bikes!"

One of the guys happened to be a mountain bike enthusiast and searched for the packing slip which he had to have the Colonel sign off on anyway, but he was curious to see what kind of bikes were in the crate. His eyes got big when he saw what he knew to be one of the best mountain bikes made.

"2019 Kona Hei Hei ! Fifteen of them! Man, I'm impressed! How'd you get the stiffs to sign off on these babies?!" Realizing he might have just stepped out of line, he apologized.

'Sorry, sir...none of my business. I'm just jealous sir...I've been saving up for one of these myself."

"Well, their worth saving up for, Sargeant." He wasn't about to tell him he had purchased the bikes with his own funds and were not government funded.

"Yes, sir. Have fun!" The crewmen smiled and went back to unload the other crates.

John turned to find Ronon headed his way. He was the only one he had told about his plans once he had approval by

Elizabeth and Carson. Ronon was excited and they had already started to plot out different courses for different levels of difficulty. Ronon didn't know how to ride a bike, but John was sure he would take to it naturally.

Nodding at Ronon, John hailed four of his teams via his ear com to meet them on deck. While they waited for the other two crates, John was anxious to try one out and popped the first crate open and unloaded one of the bikes. He was glad he had paid for full assembly, so each one was good to go.

He mounted the bike and rode around the area, lucky most of the crates had been moved inside, leaving a wide empty area. Some of the crew stopped to watch the officer smiling like a kid racing around the dock on the mountain bike.

By the time he came back around, the teams were there.

"Sweet!" One of his guys exclaimed and all agreed.

'Okay, guys...there are fifteen of these waiting to be unloaded. Does everyone know how to ride?"

Affirmatives from all around, John looked at Ronon. 'Grab one and I'll give you a quick lesson while they get the rest unloaded."

To his men, who were enthusiastically unloading the bikes. "Whoever is unlucky enough to not get one...you'll be in charge of giving helmets out and grabbing the repair kits. We'll rides these to the west pier, there's a room we can use to store them and the repair kits.

After the fifteen bikes each had a rider, and the riderless guys,who looked dejected, had handed out helmets. The fifteen bikers lead by John set off for the west pier. Ronon had taken to riding the bike within five minutes and followed second, looking every ounce an experienced biker. People moved out of the way, looking curiously at the parade of helmeted bikers. Tongues were wagging all over Atlantis, to say the least, and the rumor mill sported several different scenarios.

John let the rumors fly...for a few days—it was kind of entertaining to hear some of the rumors—the ones with outlandish speculations were actually funny—and he had to admit there were some ideas maybe he would actually implement. He chuckled when the true reason seemed to not make the gamut .

On the fourth day, with Elizabeth's permission—he announced his intended plans for the bikes via the city-wide com.

"Every expedition member, military and civilian will be expected to start a fitness plan , training with the bikes once the course is deemed ready. Physicals will be required before starting to obtain level of fitness. "

All military personnel were already engaging in a disciplined regimen of exercise daily , as part of their obligation so would be easy for Carson and his staff to pass. It was the scientists he feared would balk at any physical exertion.

"Any concerns take up with Dr Beckett and his staff. Just so you know, he is all on board with this 100 percent and barring any legitimate concerns, each and every member will be expected to comply. There will be courses for different levels of fitness, so those of you concerned about that, don't worry. And, while i'm at this point—let's not be children about this—this is not a competition—no one is to be made to feel bad about their individual fitness and course levels . Our goal here is for better health physically and hopefully mentally, too. "

Though he expected resistance, John was pleased over the next few days by how few grumbles he actually heard. Carson also was amazed when only a handful of scientists showed up in the infirmary with complaints. He had expected Rodney to be the first, but was amazed the top scientist had not come looking for an excuse.

Rodney had instead, marched into John's office straight away, A look only McKay could have pulled off—somewhere between anger and hurt there. John had expected his teammate's resistance. But instead, Rodney had gone off on him about not being in the loop *before* it was announce citywide.

It still floored him how indignant Rodney had been about not knowing and John had apologized, but added that he thought Rodney would be his number one complainer. That's when Rodney had informed him that as a kid, he had found solace riding his bike to and from school. It turned out that Rodney had actually been quite the athlete, having joined a team of riders who did different circuits around the city and surrounding areas during his college days.

So Rodney ended up a huge supporter of the bike fitness regimen John had outlined. Over the next few months Carson reported that everyone was benefitting physical and mentally from the mandatory exercise. He also noted less complaints about back aches and headaches from the over-stressed scientists. He was also pleased to say that with the safety measures implemented, bike-related injuries were also low. It appeared that on the whole, the Atlantis expedition was thriving.

John was happy that his plan worked out. There had been a few hitches but once dealt with, he was happy to see more smiling faces and more spring in the steps of each and every person he passed, some even taking the time to thank him and inform him of their progress. Many of the personnel had expressed their desire to purchase their own bike for use, which made John even happier. A healthier expedition was a stronger expedition, mind and body. What could he think of next?!

FIN

Thanks for reading!

Carson noted more and more physical maladies like head and muscle aches. Dr Heitmeyer reported more and more cases of developing depression amongst the expedition members, mostly in the scientific community. John wants to enact a plan to reduce these symptoms for everyone on the

—-ATLANTIS—

John waited impatiently while the Daedalus unloaded supplies. He had yet to see any boxes big enough for the items he ordered. Colonel Caldwell came up to him a moment later with the manifest list in his hand, looking it over.

"Odd request, Colonel Sheppard!" He smirked, knowing the Atlantis CO was always trying to find ways for his enlisted and civilian populations to stay fit.

John smiled. "Not at all, Colonel! What better way to stay in shape. Everyone can be taught how to ride, if they don't already know. Besides, if the transporters are down, Atlantis is pretty big—we can use them to get around...not to mention long treks off-world. No fuel or power needed—just good old-fashion leg work.

Colonel Caldwell considered his points and nodded in agreement. "There is that...I know the enlisted guys will be thrilled, but the civilian ones, well, you might have a problem there."

John smirked. "I'm going to make it mandatory. I'm going to set a course around the west pier that everyone will have to do and sign off at least once a week."

Caldwell eyed him suspiciously 'Isn't that the pier that got damaged during the Wraith Siege?"

"Yeah, but the engineers checked it out and deemed it safe, but it's got a bit of a tilt down in one spot but that's all the better to build cardio going up the incline that's present now."

Caldwell chuckled, Sheppard sure had some wild ideas but somehow he made them work. But this time he wouldnt want to be him when he told the sedentary scientists. "Well, good luck, Colonel. ". He patted the younger man's shoulder as he was summoned away by one of his crewmen.

A few minutes later, a large crate was being off-loaded and John knew it had to be the one. He headed over to the crewmen as they set the crate off the pallet.

"There's one more crate just like this and a smaller crate,with your name on them, sir. Do you want them anywhere special, sir?

"Nah, just leave them here...we can unload the bikes and helmets from here."

"Bikes, sir?"

"Yup...mountain bikes!"

One of the guys happened to be a mountain bike enthusiast and searched for the packing slip which he had to have the Colonel sign off on anyway, but he was curious to see what kind of bikes were in the crate. His eyes got big when he saw what he knew to be one of the best mountain bikes made.

"2019 Kona Hei Hei ! Fifteen of them! Man, I'm impressed! How'd you get the stiffs to sign off on these babies?!" Realizing he might have just stepped out of line, he apologized.

'Sorry, sir...none of my business. I'm just jealous sir...I've been saving up for one of these myself."

"Well, their worth saving up for, Sargeant." He wasn't about to tell him he had purchased the bikes with his own funds and were not government funded.

"Yes, sir. Have fun!" The crewmen smiled and went back to unload the other crates.

John turned to find Ronon headed his way. He was the only one he had told about his plans once he had approval by

Elizabeth and Carson. Ronon was excited and they had already started to plot out different courses for different levels of difficulty. Ronon didn't know how to ride a bike, but John was sure he would take to it naturally.

Nodding at Ronon, John hailed four of his teams via his ear com to meet them on deck. While they waited for the other two crates, John was anxious to try one out and popped the first crate open and unloaded one of the bikes. He was glad he had paid for full assembly, so each one was good to go.

He mounted the bike and rode around the area, lucky most of the crates had been moved inside, leaving a wide empty area. Some of the crew stopped to watch the officer smiling like a kid racing around the dock on the mountain bike.

By the time he came back around, the teams were there.

"Sweet!" One of his guys exclaimed and all agreed.

'Okay, guys...there are fifteen of these waiting to be unloaded. Does everyone know how to ride?"

Affirmatives from all around, John looked at Ronon. 'Grab one and I'll give you a quick lesson while they get the rest unloaded."

To his men, who were enthusiastically unloading the bikes. "Whoever is unlucky enough to not get one...you'll be in charge of giving helmets out and grabbing the repair kits. We'll rides these to the west pier, there's a room we can use to store them and the repair kits.

After the fifteen bikes each had a rider, and the riderless guys,who looked dejected, had handed out helmets. The fifteen bikers lead by John set off for the west pier. Ronon had taken to riding the bike within five minutes and followed second, looking every ounce an experienced biker. People moved out of the way, looking curiously at the parade of helmeted bikers. Tongues were wagging all over Atlantis, to say the least, and the rumor mill sported several different scenarios.

John let the rumors fly...for a few days—it was kind of entertaining to hear some of the rumors—the ones with outlandish speculations were actually funny—and he had to admit there were some ideas maybe he would actually implement. He chuckled when the true reason seemed to not make the gamut .

On the fourth day, with Elizabeth's permission—he announced his intended plans for the bikes via the city-wide com.

"Every expedition member, military and civilian will be expected to start a fitness plan , training with the bikes once the course is deemed ready. Physicals will be required before starting to obtain level of fitness. "

All military personnel were already engaging in a disciplined regimen of exercise daily , as part of their obligation so would be easy for Carson and his staff to pass. It was the scientists he feared would balk at any physical exertion.

"Any concerns take up with Dr Beckett and his staff. Just so you know, he is all on board with this 100 percent and barring any legitimate concerns, each and every member will be expected to comply. There will be courses for different levels of fitness, so those of you concerned about that, don't worry. And, while i'm at this point—let's not be children about this—this is not a competition—no one is to be made to feel bad about their individual fitness and course levels . Our goal here is for better health physically and hopefully mentally, too. "

Though he expected resistance, John was pleased over the next few days by how few grumbles he actually heard. Carson also was amazed when only a handful of scientists showed up in the infirmary with complaints. He had expected Rodney to be the first, but was amazed the top scientist had not come looking for an excuse.

Rodney had instead, marched into John's office straight away, A look only McKay could have pulled off—somewhere between anger and hurt there. John had expected his teammate's resistance. But instead, Rodney had gone off on him about not being in the loop *before* it was announce citywide.

It still floored him how indignant Rodney had been about not knowing and John had apologized, but added that he thought Rodney would be his number one complainer. That's when Rodney had informed him that as a kid, he had found solace riding his bike to and from school. It turned out that Rodney had actually been quite the athlete, having joined a team of riders who did different circuits around the city and surrounding areas during his college days.

So Rodney ended up a huge supporter of the bike fitness regimen John had outlined. Over the next few months Carson reported that everyone was benefitting physical and mentally from the mandatory exercise. He also noted less complaints about back aches and headaches from the over-stressed scientists. He was also pleased to say that with the safety measures implemented, bike-related injuries were also low. It appeared that on the whole, the Atlantis expedition was thriving.

John was happy that his plan worked out. There had been a few hitches but once dealt with, he was happy to see more smiling faces and more spring in the steps of each and every person he passed, some even taking the time to thank him and inform him of their progress. Many of the personnel had expressed their desire to purchase their own bike for use, which made John even happier. A healthier expedition was a stronger expedition, mind and body. What could he think of next?!

FIN

Thanks for Carson noted more and more physical maladies like head and muscle aches. Dr Heitmeyer reported more and more cases of developing depression amongst the expedition members, mostly in the scientific community. John wants to enact a plan to reduce these symptoms for everyone on the

—-ATLANTIS—

John waited impatiently while the Daedalus unloaded supplies. He had yet to see any boxes big enough for the items he ordered. Colonel Caldwell came up to him a moment later with the manifest list in his hand, looking it over.

"Odd request, Colonel Sheppard!" He smirked, knowing the Atlantis CO was always trying to find ways for his enlisted and civilian populations to stay fit.

John smiled. "Not at all, Colonel! What better way to stay in shape. Everyone can be taught how to ride, if they don't already know. Besides, if the transporters are down, Atlantis is pretty big—we can use them to get around...not to mention long treks off-world. No fuel or power needed—just good old-fashion leg work.

Colonel Caldwell considered his points and nodded in agreement. "There is that...I know the enlisted guys will be thrilled, but the civilian ones, well, you might have a problem there."

John smirked. "I'm going to make it mandatory. I'm going to set a course around the west pier that everyone will have to do and sign off at least once a week."

Caldwell eyed him suspiciously 'Isn't that the pier that got damaged during the Wraith Siege?"

"Yeah, but the engineers checked it out and deemed it safe, but it's got a bit of a tilt down in one spot but that's all the better to build cardio going up the incline that's present now."

Caldwell chuckled, Sheppard sure had some wild ideas but somehow he made them work. But this time he wouldnt want to be him when he told the sedentary scientists. "Well, good luck, Colonel. ". He patted the younger man's shoulder as he was summoned away by one of his crewmen.

A few minutes later, a large crate was being off-loaded and John knew it had to be the one. He headed over to the crewmen as they set the crate off the pallet.

"There's one more crate just like this and a smaller crate,with your name on them, sir. Do you want them anywhere special, sir?

"Nah, just leave them here...we can unload the bikes and helmets from here."

"Bikes, sir?"

"Yup...mountain bikes!"

One of the guys happened to be a mountain bike enthusiast and searched for the packing slip which he had to have the Colonel sign off on anyway, but he was curious to see what kind of bikes were in the crate. His eyes got big when he saw what he knew to be one of the best mountain bikes made.

"2019 Kona Hei Hei ! Fifteen of them! Man, I'm impressed! How'd you get the stiffs to sign off on these babies?!" Realizing he might have just stepped out of line, he apologized.

'Sorry, sir...none of my business. I'm just jealous sir...I've been saving up for one of these myself."

"Well, their worth saving up for, Sargeant." He wasn't about to tell him he had purchased the bikes with his own funds and were not government funded.

"Yes, sir. Have fun!" The crewmen smiled and went back to unload the other crates.

John turned to find Ronon headed his way. He was the only one he had told about his plans once he had approval by

Elizabeth and Carson. Ronon was excited and they had already started to plot out different courses for different levels of difficulty. Ronon didn't know how to ride a bike, but John was sure he would take to it naturally.

Nodding at Ronon, John hailed four of his teams via his ear com to meet them on deck. While they waited for the other two crates, John was anxious to try one out and popped the first crate open and unloaded one of the bikes. He was glad he had paid for full assembly, so each one was good to go.

He mounted the bike and rode around the area, lucky most of the crates had been moved inside, leaving a wide empty area. Some of the crew stopped to watch the officer smiling like a kid racing around the dock on the mountain bike.

By the time he came back around, the teams were there.

"Sweet!" One of his guys exclaimed and all agreed.

'Okay, guys...there are fifteen of these waiting to be unloaded. Does everyone know how to ride?"

Affirmatives from all around, John looked at Ronon. 'Grab one and I'll give you a quick lesson while they get the rest unloaded."

To his men, who were enthusiastically unloading the bikes. "Whoever is unlucky enough to not get one...you'll be in charge of giving helmets out and grabbing the repair kits. We'll rides these to the west pier, there's a room we can use to store them and the repair kits.

After the fifteen bikes each had a rider, and the riderless guys,who looked dejected, had handed out helmets. The fifteen bikers lead by John set off for the west pier. Ronon had taken to riding the bike within five minutes and followed second, looking every ounce an experienced biker. People moved out of the way, looking curiously at the parade of helmeted bikers. Tongues were wagging all over Atlantis, to say the least, and the rumor mill sported several different scenarios.

John let the rumors fly...for a few days—it was kind of entertaining to hear some of the rumors—the ones with outlandish speculations were actually funny—and he had to admit there were some ideas maybe he would actually implement. He chuckled when the true reason seemed to not make the gamut .

On the fourth day, with Elizabeth's permission—he announced his intended plans for the bikes via the city-wide com.

"Every expedition member, military and civilian will be expected to start a fitness plan , training with the bikes once the course is deemed ready. Physicals will be required before starting to obtain level of fitness. "

All military personnel were already engaging in a disciplined regimen of exercise daily , as part of their obligation so would be easy for Carson and his staff to pass. It was the scientists he feared would balk at any physical exertion.

"Any concerns take up with Dr Beckett and his staff. Just so you know, he is all on board with this 100 percent and barring any legitimate concerns, each and every member will be expected to comply. There will be courses for different levels of fitness, so those of you concerned about that, don't worry. And, while i'm at this point—let's not be children about this—this is not a competition—no one is to be made to feel bad about their individual fitness and course levels . Our goal here is for better health physically and hopefully mentally, too. "

Though he expected resistance, John was pleased over the next few days by how few grumbles he actually heard. Carson also was amazed when only a handful of scientists showed up in the infirmary with complaints. He had expected Rodney to be the first, but was amazed the top scientist had not come looking for an excuse.

Rodney had instead, marched into John's office straight away, A look only McKay could have pulled off—somewhere between anger and hurt there. John had expected his teammate's resistance. But instead, Rodney had gone off on him about not being in the loop *before* it was announce citywide.

It still floored him how indignant Rodney had been about not knowing and John had apologized, but added that he thought Rodney would be his number one complainer. That's when Rodney had informed him that as a kid, he had found solace riding his bike to and from school. It turned out that Rodney had actually been quite the athlete, having joined a team of riders who did different circuits around the city and surrounding areas during his college days.

So Rodney ended up a huge supporter of the bike fitness regimen John had outlined. Over the next few months Carson reported that everyone was benefitting physical and mentally from the mandatory exercise. He also noted less complaints about back aches and headaches from the over-stressed scientists. He was also pleased to say that with the safety measures implemented, bike-related injuries were also low. It appeared that on the whole, the Atlantis expedition was thriving.

John was happy that his plan worked out. There had been a few hitches but once dealt with, he was happy to see more smiling faces and more spring in the steps of each and every person he passed, some even taking the time to thank him and inform him of their progress. Many of the personnel had expressed their desire to purchase their own bike for use, which made John even happier. A healthier expedition was a stronger expedition, mind and body. What could he think of next?!

FIN

Thanks for reading!


End file.
